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AIBU?

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Original poster

Help! We accidentally served raw chicken at friend's party! WWYD and is everyone going to get ill?

66 replies

LilacIce · 10/04/2016 12:34

DH grilled boneless chicken thighs wrapped in bacon, I assumed he'd cooked them properly! We added them to buffet.

At the end of the night hostess gave us a plate of leftovers to take home including some of DH's chicken (which everyone ate apart from 4 veggies).

This morning I ate one, it seemed fine, I bit into another and it was raw! As in totally raw Shock
I was so disgusted I was sick.

I'm so worried we're all going to get ill! Should I call the others and tell them? DH thinks it must have been on the edge of the tray and says the others were fine Hmm I'm so angry I can barely look at him. I'm OCD about food safety and always over-cook meat, he thinks I'm overreacting. Am I?

One of our friends was feeding the chicken to her toddler!

What should I do?

OP posts:
summerdreams · 10/04/2016 13:31

I'd think people would notice. I'm not ocd about food at all except ds meat but even I check my own chicken when being served by anyone else or from a takeaway I think people would notice.

BoatyMcBoat · 10/04/2016 13:34

You can tell from the consistency if chicken isn't cooked properly, so I think people would have noticed even if it was too dark to see.

MissTurnstiles · 10/04/2016 13:38

How efficient is your grill, and does it cook evenly? Could some have been fine and just a few undercooked? How big were the pieces? Could you eat them in one mouthful or did they need several bites? If the latter, people will have noticed.

As a tip for the future, however - invest in a digital probe thermometer. Absolutely revolutionary!

Jessesbitch · 10/04/2016 14:10

Salmonella incubation period 12-36hrs. Campylobacter 2-5days (but can be longer).

Are you sure its not your OCD making you worry overly?

Original poster
LilacIce · 10/04/2016 17:58

Our grill is usually fine but he may have positioned a couple of pieces too far from the centre. The pieces were the size you could eat in about 3 bites but people were eating them in bread, with salad and sauce etc in the dark!

I really really hope it was just that one piece and nobody gets ill Blush

It could be my OCD making me worry excessively, I'm very very cautious about chicken and would never usually eat it unless it was a good restaurant or someone I know is vigilant about food safety! I assumed DH would be as careful as I am but apparently he was in a hurry and 'followed the instructions on the recipe' so didn't think to check they were actually cooked Angry

Anyway, it was an accident and I've forgiven him. I was more annoyed that he didn't think it was a big deal at first and I'm conscious we could have given 15people food poisoning!!!

I'm also worried that even if it was just one piece, the raw piece was in contact with the cooked pieces Sad

OP posts:
ProudAS · 10/04/2016 21:09

Don't worry too much. Most people would notice if chicken was undercooked.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 10/04/2016 21:15

I think the best thing to remember is that freezing seems to be good for killing campy and if any undercooked chicken got through, it may well not be contaminated anyway.

suffolkpunch85 · 10/04/2016 21:21

My SIL served us raw chicken at a party once. My husband had about 8 pieces as he didn't notice (?!) and wasn't ill in the slightest. Luck of the draw I think.

Capricorn76 · 10/04/2016 21:32

I ate a slightly undercooked chicken Kiev once. It looked 95% cooked with just a bit of pink in the middle. Within 12 hours I was writhing and vomiting like the girl from the exorcist. Couldn't even hold down water. Have never felt so bad. So to those saying you'd be able to notice a raw chicken, it doesn't have to be completely raw for you to get sick, just a bit undercooked.

AvonleaAnne · 10/04/2016 21:52

I would be reacting in the same way as you. I am very anxious about undercooked meat. I hope you and the other guests are ok.

herecomethepotatoes · 11/04/2016 05:19

Everyone will probably (statistically) be fine.

I wouldn't take the blame for it. What do you mean 'forgiven him'? Hope the next time you over cook meat for him, he can forgive you!

It might not hurt to spread a little disinformation though. Find a reason to speak to someone from the party and get into the conversation "delicious food. Did you think X's sausages had a slightly funny taste?" Halo

kali110 · 11/04/2016 05:36

I'm ocd about chocken too, but i onow others aren't so this is my worse nightmare!
It can take from 24 hours for side effects from chicken to show, it doesn't show up quickly ( i've had it twice Angry )

Battleshiphips2 · 11/04/2016 06:23

My mum served me raw sausages once. I ate them but thought they were a bit weird tasting. I was fine. I still remind her of it now. Chances are the rest were fine and everyone will be ok.

StealthPolarBear · 11/04/2016 06:24

Is ocd very common then? I was under the impression it was quite rare.
Op I hope people are ok. I am vegetarian ans this is the main reason I hate cooking meat - too much potential to go wrong.

VinceNoirLovesHowardMoon · 11/04/2016 06:32

Are you people actually suffering from OCD specific to chicken cooking or are you using a serious mental health condition as shorthand for being careful about chicken cooking conditions?

FelicityR313 · 11/04/2016 06:39

I am obsessive too about food hygiene and cooking (harks back to my mother). I would literally lose the plot if DH did this. I hope that whoever ate the less cooked pieces have good stomachs.

AliciaMayEmory · 11/04/2016 06:48

Will people please stop saying they are OCD when they really mean that they worry about a specific thing a bit more than others may. OCD is a really debilitating illness. It is not just about checking if your chicken is cooked or your house is looking clean and it undermines the struggles that those who really do have OCD go though on a daily basis.

herecomethepotatoes · 11/04/2016 06:49

This reply has been deleted

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AliciaMayEmory · 11/04/2016 06:58

Wtf?

Bearsinmotion · 11/04/2016 07:00

I think it's fine to say you are obsessive, it's the OCD bit that is the problem. It is a formerly recognised condition that causes a lot of suffering. Being a bit obsessive about something is a personality trait, fine. Being "a bit OCD", not so much.

gentlydownthestreamm · 11/04/2016 07:06

I don't think there's anything you can usefully do really. No point telling people, if they are going to get ill then they are going to get ill. I don't think there are any preventative steps that can be taken! Asking people if they are OK won't achieve anything except worry them and make them paranoid.

As others say people are probably fine anyway. DP has eaten totally raw chicken before now and been fine (he is odd) and generally we have eaten very pink bits on a roast chicken/turkey on more than one occasion and again been fine. People here (France) are more paranoid about pork than chicken!

SarfEast1cated · 11/04/2016 07:15

Surely most people would have noticed and not eaten it? It's pretty hard to miss that you're eating raw chicken...

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 11/04/2016 07:55

Unfortunately I agree with Capricorn you only need a very small amount not to be thoroughly cooked to be extremely ill, you wouldn't always notice if it wasn't cooked.

LaurieMarlow · 11/04/2016 08:14

Be breezy for the moment. It's not a thing until it's a thing - and if no one gets sick, it's not a thing.

Not all chickens have the bacteria, there's a good chance everything will be fine, even if raw chicken was consumed.

If it's any comfort to you, something similar happened to me about 8 years ago. I had 2 days of panic, waiting for the phone call to say someone had D&V. It never materialised. My guests remember a lovely meal.

teacher54321 · 11/04/2016 08:20

And this is why I struggle eating at buffets and at 'bring your own food' evenings. I too would go absolutely nuclear about this, not saying it's normal, but I have emetephobia and anxiety and this would leave me panicking for days.